Run Your App Overview
Open Beta Documentation Amazon offers this technical
documentation as part of a pre-release, open beta. The features described might change as Amazon receives feedback
and iterates on the features. For the most current feature information, see the Release
Notes.
This page compares the differences between using a Fire TV Stick versus a virtual device for development. For instructions on running apps on either method, visit Run Your App on Vega Virtual Device or Fire TV Stick.
Comparison of test environment
| Fire TV Stick | Vega Virtual Device | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | Physical device with ARM architecture. | Virtual environment using host CPU architecture. |
| Performance | Real-world performance metrics. | Limited by host machine capabilities. |
| Recommended for | • Final testing. • Performance optimization. • Production validation. • User experience testing. |
• Initial development. • Quick iterations. • Basic functionality testing. • Early debugging. |
| Supported features | All Fire TV components and APIs. | Only supports: • In-App Purchasing (IAP) • Digital Rights Management (DRM) on Mac M-series processors • Webview on Mac M-series processors Other middleware including Login with Amazon (LWA), Launcher, and other Fire TV APIs are NOT supported. |
| Performance testing | Accurate real-world metrics. | Not supported for performance testing. |
| Development speed | For production quality testing. | Rapid development and testing. |
| Testing reliability | Good for production environment. | May vary from production behavior. |
Best practices
- Perform local and unit testing using Vega Virtual Device.
- Perform integration and production testing using Physical devices.
- Use both environments for efficient development and testing.
Last updated: Sep 30, 2025
